Radical SR8LM sets new Nürburgring record at 6:48
Radical SR8LM at the 'Ring – Click above for image gallery
Upgrading on the 360 horsepower SR8 that set the record four years ago, the SR8LM was introduced in 2007 with a 455 hp modified Suzuki Hayabusa engine mounted in a compact Le Mans Prototype-style body. But despite its racecar styling and tarmac-scraping ride height, the Radical is completely street legal. Somewhere. As proof, Michael Vergers drove it down from the factory in England all the way to the vaunted German circuit, and within 24 hours, he had set the new record. The 6:48 lap time, a full eight seconds quicker than Radical's previous record, was verified by Germany's Sport Auto and England's Evo magazines using Dunlop racing slicks. Check out the press release after the jump for more details and the photos in the gallery below.
Gallery: Radical SR8LM at the Nurburgring
[Source: Radical]
PRESS RELEASE
Radical Smash Nordschleife Lap Record
Peterborough sportscar manufacturer Radical Sportscars has smashed the Nürburgring production car lap record, with driver Michael Vergers posting a committed 6m48s lap time. The road-legal SR8LM smashed the previous record, also held by Radical since 2005, by an incredible eight seconds. All this, less than 24 hours after the car was driven from England to Germany for the record.
German motoring magazine Sport Auto oversaw the attempt, with the UK's evo magazine confirming the time, which will be officially finalised tomorrow (Thursday).
Conditions for the record were perfect, with clear skies and temperatures in the high 20s. Vergers initially battled with the Nordschleife's fearsome kerbs, jumps and bumps, but soon found the ideal setup, inspiring confidence to push harder.
"The car was great, I could push really hard and it felt clearly faster than the previous SR8 in 2005," said Vergers. "It's fantastic that we've beaten the record; hopefully I'll get an opportunity to return with Radical in the future."
Radical co-founder Mick Hyde said: "I'm obviously delighted, the record has been a real team effort headed up by Phil Abbott and Rob Wheldon. Dunlop have supplied us with brilliant, hard-wearing trackday tyres, indeed we've only used one set to both drive to the 'Ring, and set the record.
"We've proved that the SR8LM is not only the world's best trackday car, but it's also practical enough to drive to and from the circuit. It is a genuine production sportscar, with genuine performance credentials, as we've shown today."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
A Porsche Fan 5:25PM (8/20/2009)
The Porsche 956 set a record of 6 minutes 11 seconds. Beat that!
It makes more sense to compare the times of purpose-built racecars rather than comparing that of a racecar to a street-legal road car.
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Not a bmw fan 5:42PM (8/20/2009)
Even a BMW-Sauber F1 car from 2006 could lap in under 5:15.8...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nürburgring_lap_times
Porsche doesn't have an F1 car so they will never be the fastest... sorry.
Joe 6:29PM (8/20/2009)
I want to hear that engine at 10,500 rpm...
Martin 1:18AM (8/21/2009)
the sauber time is estimated, heidfeld wasn't allowed to do a full lap flat out, hopefully someone will get the chance to v-max an F1 car there.
yay radical, even if i do think that nurburgring timing is mostly pointless, especialy as a way of comparing cars.
Tony 5:26PM (8/20/2009)
Yeah right! I wouldn't want to be the first one to try and register this in North America. Even if you were successful in getting this beast on the road, every cop you meet would pull your a$$ over and give you the third degree, because they wouldn't believe it.
I couldn't imagine how you would get any insurance company to insure it.
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AlittleCarLover 8:50PM (8/20/2009)
very good point
naggs 9:02PM (8/20/2009)
no one is implying that you should actually or even could actually drive this on public roads, only that it technically meets the standards for the "class" that it "competes" in N-ring lap time "records"
this is the ultimate example of gaming the test.
if the people who run the N-ring were smart, they would hold a one day test once a year where they provided the cars and the automakers provided the drivers and tried to out compete each other. a more entertaining form of racing i can't imagine, actual street models rolled right off a random dealers lot going at 11/10ths. someone get to work on that.
Tom Winch 9:50PM (8/20/2009)
The Radical is not street legal in the US. Some European countries, notably the UK and Germany will allow street legal racers like this.
Kelah 9:23AM (8/21/2009)
Not near as hard to get a car like this registered, street legal, and insured.
We have a guy in the club who is a metal craftsman and built his own car which is loosely based on a Mclaren.
It is street legal and at least as wild as the Radical.
See the build at
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3618&highlight=mcbearen
He has driven it all over the country and while he does occasionally draw the attention of Leo's it is not as bad as you would think
Guitar Hero 5:27PM (8/20/2009)
Er...using Dunlop racing slicks? These better be street legal tyres, or there could be trouble...
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Nibcrom 5:29PM (8/20/2009)
Just out of curiosity, are those racing slicks street legal? And do they come on the car from the factory? Regardless, a wicked fast time!
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sparrk 7:02PM (8/20/2009)
the Brits are crazy , pretty much anything is road legal there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6TPGoo9dSs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6TPGoo9dSs
hoyaCS08 7:13PM (8/20/2009)
Yeah the Brits make some exceptions to the usual road-legality requirements for cars sold in very small numbers, and also have a much wider definition of a kit-car - hence things like this can get on the road legally over there (and in Europe in general).
Pretty good idea, in my opinion. Allows smaller, more specialized manufacturers to innovate and sell cool cars without the prohibitive costs of crash-test certifying and environmental testing.
MrBill 5:33PM (8/20/2009)
But can it go over a speed bump?
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2004m3driver 5:58PM (8/20/2009)
Can it? Yes.
Will it survive? Probably not.
Phil 5:41PM (8/20/2009)
Dunlop Racing Slicks? Or Dunlops "cut slicks" - which are road legal? Radical said hard-wearing trackday tyres which would imply the "Cut Slicks"... Especially since at last check, Slciks weren't road legal in the UK...
I'm surprised that the SR8LM and cut slicks are legal in the 500 miles or so between the UK and Nurburg though...
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Rich 6:01PM (8/20/2009)
Interesting you should mention it's "street legal. Somewhere.". I had a conversation recently with someone about jacked-up lorries here in the US., and how they wouldn't be street legal in the UK due to being unroadworthy (poor suspension setup) and having tyres protruding from bodywork. They'd also be impractical to insure, due to them being heavily modified.
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why not the LS2LS7? 6:44PM (8/20/2009)
You guys call pickup trucks lorries too? I thought that was only delivery/commercial trucks.
Rich 8:30PM (8/20/2009)
Well, it's a pickup lorry. People call lorries trucks and trucks lorries. The two are interchangeable. Like you guys say car and automobile.
Rich 8:31PM (8/20/2009)
Besides, they *are* smelly commercial lorries, that just happen to be privately owned.